March 6, 2025
Interview with Jennifer Gomez; Teacher Librarian at School of the Arts
I spoke with Jennifer Gomez, librarian at School of the Arts Middle School (SOA) in North Charleston, S.C. regarding the foundation engage and how she is implementing the foundation/domains and competencies through the library program. Mrs. Gomez shares the School of the Arts library with Academic Magnet High School. Middle and high school students use the library daily for reading, studying, printing, and quiet time. Mrs. Gomez operates on a flexible schedule so that she can meet the needs of the 1098 students that attend School of the Arts.
Engage is to demonstrate safe, legal, and ethical creating and sharing of knowledge products independently while engaging in a community of practice and an interconnected world (AASL, 2018).
In order to start the conversation, I asked Mrs. Gomez the following questions:
What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?
What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?
Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? If so, please provide examples.
What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?
Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today?
Mrs. Gomez stated that the library program at SOA advocates for the ethical gathering of information by sharing resources on their website. She also stated that she has created specific projects for teachers. One example of a project was a website that she created for a teacher who was using documentaries that included appropriate resources for music etc. Most importantly, she stated that it is the school librarian's role to model the ethical use of sources. Mrs. Gomez models this through her book talk video segments, which include a works cited screen at the end for all viewers to see.
Mrs. Gomez regularly updates her school library's website and is available to assist students with available databases. In the library, there are computers already kiosked to Destiny and she is available to help students get into databases in MackinVia. She makes a point to introduce databases to classes as they research topics related to science, literature and careers.
This school year Mrs. Gomez has collaborated with 6th grade science teachers and students,
8th grade ELA students, and high school students in their English class, as requested by the teachers. Mrs. Gomez steps in as needed and recently taught an English class how to evaluate sources and identify bias when the teacher noticed students were improperly using sources for an assignment.
A challenge that exists with this foundation lies in teachers not viewing the ethical use of information as a priority for this age; therefore, students develop poor habits. Due to teachers being busy with teaching curriculum content, they often do not have time to model information literacy with consistency. Mrs. Gomez emphasized that students require constant practice and the consistent expectation to attribute sources, especially now with the ease of locating an answer on the internet.
Mrs. Gomez noted that although this is one of the most important competencies, it can prove to be one of the most challenging to implement. "It is my hope that I can continue to work with teachers in the near future within their content areas to start to build that all important foundation" J. Gomez (personal communication, March 6, 2025).
In conclusion, Mrs. Gomez attributed that the engage foundation requires constant vigilance, as resources are constantly changing. "As librarians, as long as we are vocal models of responsible research and are sure to include its tenets at every opportunity, we can help to raise responsible, engaged learners" J. Gomez (personal communication, March 6, 2025).
As a result of interviewing Mrs. Gomez, I have been encouraged to better model information literacy skills. I have thought about the teaching aspect of information literacy, but Mrs. Gomez led me to realize the importance of demonstrating these skills for teachers and students to see. For example, when giving book talks, I will keep in mind the importance of accurately citing sources at the end for students to see. I also see the importance of keeping my library website up-to-date with tools that will assist students and teachers. Working to make sure the teachers in my building see this foundation as an important competency will be a goal of mine. Collaborating with teachers on research projects is a way that I can design experiences to help students see the value of ethically using information.
(J. Gomez, personal communication, March 6, 2025).
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